Monthly Archives: April 2012

The next version of the Linux distribution Ubuntu is scheduled to be available for download tomorrow, April 26. Ubuntu 12.04 will be a so called LTS (Long Term Support) version, which means that it will be supported longer than the regular versions. For 12.04 the support will last for five years, both for the server and the desktop version. Previous LTS-releases were supported for five years for the server version, but only three years for desktop. Non-LTS-releases are supported for 18 months after release.

Ubuntu 12.04 is using version 3.2 of the Linux kernel. Below is a list of other changes, taken from the Ubuntu website:

New Applications and Defaults

The default music player has been switched to Rhythmbox, which again includes the UbuntuOne music store.

There is a new way to quickly search and access any desktop application's and indicator's menu, called the "HUD". Tap the Alt key and enter some letters and words, and it will show the corresponding entries, including some fuzzy matching. Press enter to execute the action. This one is executed on the current focused application as well as all indicator facilities (like managing emails, sound list, quit…). Also it learns from your previous choices to make the search more and more accurate for you.

ClickPad support

ClickPad devices are trackpads where the physical button is integrated into the trackpad surface. Ubuntu Precise now has enhanced support for these devices. When the button is pressed on a ClickPad device, a second finger may be used to drag the cursor.

ClickPad support requires extra handling that conflicts with "Click Action" support. Click Actions allow for separate actions when multiple fingers are active on a trackpad. The default Ubuntu settings enable right button behavior when two fingers are in contact with the trackpad surface and the physical trackpad button is pressed. Because of conflicting behavior, ClickPad devices do not support Click Actions in this release.

Most Synaptics brand ClickPads are recognized out of the box. Apple MacBook trackpads are recognized as well. Support for Apple Magic Trackpads and more Synaptics brand ClickPads will follow in the next release.

Ubuntu One

All new Control Panel provides an installer, setup wizard, ability to add/remove folders to sync, and more

Proxy support is now fully functional

Ubuntu One music store in Rhythmbox

Ubuntu One contacts sync has been removed

Nautilus ribbon with enable sync check box has been removed

Other

Until Ubuntu 11.10, the Unix group for administrators with root privileges through sudo had been admin. Starting with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, it is now sudo, for compatibility with Debian and sudo itself. However, for backwards compatibility, admin group members are still recognized as administrators.

Automatic Apport crash reporting now checks for duplicates on the client side, which will avoid uploading debug data and creating Launchpad bug reports unnecessarily in many cases now.

When installing new software through software-center, corresponding language support packages (translations, spell check modules particular to that software, help files, etc.) are now installed along automatically. This removes the need to open "Language Support" after installing new software.

pm-utils now has two new scripts to power down USB and various PCI devices in battery mode. A number of desktop packages were fixed to wake up less often. Both of these reduces power consumption and thus battery lifetime.

resolvconf is now used to manage /etc/resolv.conf on all Ubuntu systems. For systems using Network Manager DNS resolution is now done through dnsmasq, which should help split-DNS VPNs and faster DNS resolution. You can learn more here

Output from Upstart jobs is now logged to per-job files in /var/log/upstart/, unless the job specifies otherwise by setting console to something other than the default of log (see init(5)).

You can download it (starting some time tomorrow) here. But be prepared thatthe servers might be busy for the first few days.

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Google's cloud storage product Google Drive has now been announced. I am however still on a waiting list, as it seems like Google is adding users little by little, so I have not been able to test it yet.

Google Drive is a service similar to Dropbox. You get 5GB storage for free, and additional 25GB for $2.49/month. Clients are available for Mac, PC and Android phones, and a version for iPad/iPhone is coming, according to Google. The service let you access your documents from different devices and on different platforms. You are also able to share files with friends, family and other people. Google Docs is integrated with Google Drive, allowing different users to edit documents.

It will be interesting to see what differentiate Google Drive from Dropbox, box.com and other similar services that already exists. The cost for additional storage is much lower than the competing products, Dropbox give you 2GB free and charge $9.99 for 50GB storage. Box.com give you 5GB free and charge $9.99 for 25GB storage.

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After weeks of speculations, it seems like Samsung will unveil their latest smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3, at an event in London om May 3 called "Samsung Mobile Unpacked". Invitations have been sent out to media and a website with a teaser video is now available.

Samsung also released an app for the Unpacked event, where there is a reference to "Samsung Galaxy S3". The predecessor is of course Samsung Galaxy S II (with roman numerals), and there have been some discussions if Samsung will change the numbering from roman to latin numbers. Initially the phone was just referenced as "The Next Galaxy", leading some to speculate in Samsung doing like Apple and dropping the number from the name.

I guess we will see in 9 days. Then the specifications will be official as well. But rumors are talking about a quad-core processor (everything between 1.4 and 2.8GHz have been mentioned), a 4.6" to 4.8" screen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixel (but a 1920×1080 screen has also been mentioned), 16GB or 32GB memory, 8-12MP camera, and possible a ceramic body.